


Fine

by reflexian



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Case Fic, Explicit Language, M/M, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-29
Updated: 2011-03-29
Packaged: 2017-10-17 09:18:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/175302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reflexian/pseuds/reflexian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the Steve/Danny After Holidays Prompt Fest on LiveJournal. The prompt? Danny's vanished and the team has to find him. Steve's going insane and Kono and Chin have to keep him together long enough to rescue Danny.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fine

**Author's Note:**

> Major thanks to Sirona for her incredible beta job. Any remaining mistakes are mine. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

_Prelude_

The sun had barely peeked over the horizon, but Steve had been up for nearly an hour. He usually would have finished his morning swim by now, but daybreak found him sitting in the kitchen reviewing notes and the tactical plan the team had developed the night before. Chin was passed out in the hammock; Kono had fallen asleep in a rather uncomfortable-looking position at the dining room table—head awkwardly tilted back in the chair and feet propped up. Grace was asleep upstairs in his room; Kono had tucked her in after she’d finally dozed off during story number 23.

He wasn’t really sure where Danny was. He thought they had a location, but with the team running on no sleep and Grace to look after, he had to trust HPD and SWAT to confirm the information before he could go in and get him. Taking a swallow of his now cold coffee and grimacing at the taste, Steve absentmindedly twirled a pen through his fingers as he got up to toss the coffee and get a fresh cup.

It was the pen, however, that held his attention. Thanks to his SEAL training, he knows at least seven ways to kill someone with a ballpoint pen.

It’s not a skill that an average person needs to master. And in truth, it didn’t necessarily need to be a ballpoint pen. It could be a screwdriver, a pencil, or even a cocktail stirrer. As long as it’s sturdy and has a point on one end, Steve could use it to kill.

A sharp spike to the jugular is quickest. The eye socket works, because from there it’s a straight shot to the brain. Same goes for the ear canal. Getting to the aorta is a bit trickier, but it can be done as well—straight down through the soft tissue behind the left clavicle. And there are a few others that take a bit more effort, but work when you have the time.

He hasn’t always had the time; he hasn’t always had a pen, either. SEALs are trained to use whatever they have at their disposal. Even MacGyver would be impressed at what Steve could do with a car battery, a paper clip, a zipper, and some gummi bears. But sometimes, the only weapon he’s had is himself, which is why Steve also knows over a dozen ways to kill someone with his bare hands. One of the coolest moments of SEAL training for Steve was finding out that Spock’s Vulcan neck pinch—with a few modifications—actually _worked_.

Steve knows how to remove people from the equation. Well, not people, per se. It’s a bit more complicated than that, because a person is still a living being. He knows how to look at a living being and reduce them to nothing more than an animated object. He knows how to think of himself as a tool to either protect the object, or as a weapon to neutralize it. He knows this is essential, because missions are compromised when you allow yourself to think you’re rescuing someone’s husband or wife.

Or their father.

When you see someone as a person, emotions come into play. Emotions aren’t rational. Lack of rationality leads to mistakes, and mistakes get people killed. The Navy taught Steve how to suppress his feelings, a skill he desperately needed after his mother died and his father sent him away. From Steve’s perspective, it’s far better to see someone as some kind of android; dehumanizing them allows him to lock his feelings in a strongbox and do his job.

But Steve’s not in the Navy anymore, and if he wants to have a life, friends, a family . . . he needs to learn how to be human again. Because Steve knows that SEALs who don’t relearn that skill lead lonely, solitary lives. And since Danny Williams barreled into his life, being alone has lost its appeal.

Unfortunately, if he wants to _keep_ Danny Williams in his life, he’s going to need to be a SEAL—and only a SEAL—just one more time. Locking his emotions back in their box, Steve finishes making a fresh pot of coffee. He figures the smell will wake Chin and Kono soon enough.

He’s got to wake Grace up, and take her someplace safe. Then he can go get her father.

******************************************

 _Eighteen Hours Earlier_

“How the hell can this have happened? People don’t just vanish!” yelled Steve, grabbing the video screen remote from Chin. He knew this wasn’t the way to respond; he knew he had to stay in control of his emotions. But this was _Danny_ , and Steve was having a hard time compartmentalizing. Danny’s car had been found abandoned just blocks from Five-0 headquarters; there were obvious signs of a struggle, and more than a little bit of blood. Over three hours had passed since the discovery and Steve still didn’t have a single reliable lead. His usual stoic demeanor was beginning to crack.

“Boss—“

“No really. I’d like to know. Broad daylight, busy street. Cop gets yanked from his car, and _no one_ saw a damn thing?” he asked, the even timbre of his voice doing nothing to mask his agitation. Tossing the remote from his left to right hand, Steve projected an image of measured calm—an image that was shattered when he turned and hurled the object into the wall.

Chin sighed. _And there goes the remote._

“Steve—“

“Chin Ho Kelly, unless the next words out of your mouth are ‘I’ve found Danny,’ I don’t want hear it.” The fierce glare he shot Chin would have silenced a lesser man. Chin, however, had always embraced his latent masochistic streak.

“Look, brah, I get it, yeah? We’re all worried about Danny, but raging through HPD threatening to dismember anyone who gets in your way really isn’t the best way to get people to work with you,” Chin reasoned.

“Best way to scare the crap out of them, though,” muttered Kono.

Steve glared at both of them. “He’s been missing for _four hours_. That’s enough time to get him off the island. Criticizing my methods won’t help find Danny any faster.”

“Yeah, well, you flipping out isn’t helping, either,” Chin countered. “We’ve got a detail keeping an eye on Grace at school, but with Rachel and Stan out of the country, we’re the ones who are going to have to pick her up. And once we do? We’ll have to tell her why Danny _isn’t_ picking her up. She’s spent the most time with you, so you’re the obvious choice to tell her what happened.”

“I’m glad you realize I’m—“

“But Danny’s right about you, brah; your mammal-to-mammal skills are lacking. You can’t go near Grace until you get your temper under control. Danny’ll have our asses if you scare his kid.”

“My temper?” Steve asked incredulously. “I do not do tempers, Chin. I’m perfectly fine.” The look Chin shot him clearly said he wasn’t buying that line.

“Ok, yes, I’m _angry_ —actually, more like seriously pissed off that some lowlife attacked my family, and made one of them fucking disappear,” Steve’s voice began to get louder as he stalked around the room. “Danny’s my partner; he’s always had my back, and where was I when he needed me? Sitting on my ass in the office, that’s where I was. I swear to God, he’s never driving again. Do you _see_ what happens when I let him drive? Whose bright idea was it to go for malasadas anyways?”

“Pretty sure it was Danny’s idea, boss—“ Kono tried to interject. But Steve wasn’t to be deterred.

“Well, it was a bad one. I told him those things would kill him.” Kono’s sharp intake of breath alerted Steve to his thoughtless comment. “No, Kono, no; he’s not dead. If someone just wanted him dead, they would have killed him on the spot.”

“Is this the McGarrett method of comforting, Boss? Because, really? Not helping, thanks ever so much.”

“No Kono, I just. Dammit,” Steve huffed in frustration. “This has all the signs of a kidnapping for ransom, right Chin?” Steve glanced helplessly at his friend.

Chin nodded. “He’s right, cuz. Someone took Danny for a reason. We just need to find out who and why, and that will lead us to the where.”

“Exactly. But the ‘where’ shouldn’t be this hard. I mean, come on. It’s not like this is Texas, for god’s sake . . . Oahu’s, what, 600 square miles, and we can’t find one loud-mouthed, highly opinionated, annoying as crap Jerseyite with a penchant for ties and loafers?” Steve asked incredulously. “Danno doesn’t exactly blend in around here in that outfit—hell, he sticks out like a nun in a casino, and yet no one has fucking seen him? Really? How do you miss a blond in a tie in Hawaii? Maybe, if there’s some sort of accountant convention in town . . .”

 _Nun in a casino?_ Kono mouthed to Chin, who shook his head frantically. _Let it go_ , he mouthed back.

“ . . . but we’ve apparently got an island full of blind people with amnesia! So, back to my original question, how the hell did this happen without _anyone_ seeing a damn thing, and, and, and . . . aaaaarrgh! FUCK! What was my point?” Steve bellowed, raking his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“You don’t have a temper or a demeanor that will potentially scare a small child,” Chin deadpanned.

“EXACTLY!” Steve yelled, breathing heavily until his friend’s words finally registered. “Oh,” he muttered. “Well. Crap.”

“Yeah. Better now?” asked Chin. Steve gave a terse nod, still pacing around the room, but looking less like he needed to shoot someone.

“Grace gets out of school in little over an hour, boss,” Kono spoke up. “One of us needs to pick her up and break the news to her.” Steve nodded his agreement.

“I’ll do it,” he said. Chin looked skeptical. “What? You said it yourself; I’m the one who’s spent the most time with her. She knows me. And I . . . “ Steve took a deep breath, scrubbing his hand over his face.

“I have to keep her safe. For Danny.”

Chin nodded, reaching out and resting his hand on Steve’s shoulder. “We all do,” he said quietly. “Ohana, man. We all keep her safe.”

Steve nodded his agreement. “Okay, I’ll pick her up, get her things, and bring her to my house.”

“Your house? No offense, Boss, but do you really think you’re set up to take care of a little girl? Maybe I should take her home with me,” Kono suggested.

The thousand yard stare was back. “Grace stays with me. I’ve invaded terrorist training camps. I can handle a seven-year-old girl.”

Kono snorted.

“What’s so funny?”

“I think Kono is amused by your comparing child care to infiltrating terrorist organizations,” placated Chin. Steve shrugged.

“We’ll be fine. You two follow up with HPD, and check with the Newark PD to see if anyone Danny put away in Jersey might have an axe to grind. I’m going to go pick up Gracie, and I’ll call Rachel on the way. I want to see if she can think of anyone who might want to hurt Danny,” Steve directed as he strode out of the office.

“Will do,” Chin called after the rapidly departing SEAL, before turning back to the computer. Glancing at Kono, he noticed the look on her face; she looked both amused and uneasy. “What’s the matter now cuz?”

Kono smirked. “Can you honestly tell me you don’t find the mental image of Steve and his SEAL buddies playing poker with a bunch of nuns just a _little_ disturbing?”

******************************************

Danny, Steve decided, had clearly developed his ranting technique out of necessity. It was obvious that his only chance of getting a word in edgeways with his (now ex) wife was to seize control of the conversation and just never shut up. Steve had been sitting in his car in front of Grace’s school for 10 minutes listening to Rachel. He vowed he’d never again make fun of Danny when he was on the phone with her; the woman was relentless, the barrage of questions broken only when she paused to answer them herself. _Jesus, we should send her to Gitmo, let her interrogate suspected terrorists. They’d BEG to tell everything they knew._

When she finally took a breath, he stole a page from the Danny Williams playbook and just ran off at the mouth, asking if she could think of anyone who wanted to hurt Danny, outlining his plan to keep Grace with him, and running through a list of reasons as to why his plan was the only viable option. The SEALs didn’t teach him how to control his breathing in order to win an argument with a woman, but it was turning out to be an extremely fortunate side effect of his training. To his surprise, Rachel agreed he was better equipped to keep Grace safe than she and Stan were—especially since the wintry weather conditions made an immediate return from London next to impossible. Steve couldn’t decide if she was being reasonable, or if he’d just talked her in to submission; either way, he was calling it a win. She wasn’t much help on the work front though; Danny apparently never shared much about his job with her. “You know more about his work than I do, Commander,” she said, her clipped British accent clearly conveying her displeasure on the subject. Steve ended the conversation on that sour note, promising to call her back after he’d collected Grace.

************************************

Fifteen minutes later Steve was still sitting in his truck, scared to death of a 7-year-old who by all indications adored him. Flipping down the visor, he pulled out the picture of Grace that his partner had tucked in there. Steve was enraptured by the little girl’s sweet smile. Turning the picture over, he was surprised to see the little girl had signed it– _To Danno and Steve, Love Grace._

“Christ. How do I tell her he’s missing?” Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he climbed out of the truck and strode into the school’s office. It was simply a matter of showing his badge to the Principal and explaining there was a situation involving her father that required Grace be picked up immediately; in no time, Grace was brought up to the office from her class.

“Steve!” she shouted, launching herself into his arms with every expectation of being caught, “I didn’t know you were coming to get me! Are we going to dinner? Do we get to go to your house? Is Daddy finally going to let me surf?” The little girl hugged Steve, chattering excitedly all the while. Steve could do little more than hold tightly to his partner’s daughter, smoothing her hair, his heart and stomach clenched in knots as he thought of the conversation they needed to have. Danno had stormed in to his life and filled an emptiness he’d never wanted to admit was there. Grace had been a gift, one that Danny had shared generously with him. The SEAL in him knew how to deal with friends who were MIA; the man in him was floundering. He hadn’t expected to feel Danny’s loss so keenly. Pulling back to look at Grace’s face, so like her father’s and all lit up with happiness to see him, he swore that those responsible for the pain he was about to cause that little girl would pay, and pay dearly.

***********************************

The sobs had quieted to sniffles, and the front of Steve’s shirt was soaked with Grace’s tears. Steve had felt his own tears welling up, but held them off; he had to be strong for Grace. The two of them hadn’t made it farther than the park across from Grace’s school. His call to Rachel had been brief; she’d been on speaker phone when he’d broken the news to Grace about Danny, trying to provide some comfort to her daughter from so far away. Then Stan had interrupted with his suggestions on how the situation should be handled. That was when Steve’s phone ‘accidentally’ died. He’d apologize to Rachel later for that, but right now, Grace was his priority. Grace and Danny.

Steve had buried his mother and his father, and while both events had taken their toll on him, he’d been able to pick up the pieces and move on with his life. The devastated little girl in his lap who only moments ago had been sobbing for her Danno had all but destroyed him. Her tiny hand was clutching his shirt as if it was all she had in the world to hold on to.

Steve kissed her forehead, smoothing her hair as he whispered. . . . something, _anything_ to her. He had no clue what he was saying; he just kept spouting platitudes, telling her that everything would be okay, that he loved her and that he’d find Danny and he’d keep her safe, he promised. “Hey Gracie. You’re going to stay with me, okay? At least until we find Danno and your Mom and Stan get home.”

He felt her head nod against his chest. “You’ll find him, Steve. Danno says you can do anything. He keeps calling you Super Seal.”

Grace. God how he loved this little girl.

“I don’t know that I’m all that super, Gracie,” Steve said, looking down at her with a gentle smile on his face. Danny’s precious daughter turned sideways in his lap and rested her head against his chest. Her grip on his shirt loosened, and Steve reached up to capture her hand in his.

“Daddy says you are. He says nothing surprises you,” she answered.

“I wish that were true sweetheart. I wasn’t expecting someone to take you dad,” Steve chose his words carefully, hugging the little girl to him as he spoke. _I was surprised to find out how much you and your father mean to me._ He found himself marveling at how Danny insisted on being honest with his daughter, and managed to do it without scaring her. “I want her to trust me, to know that she can come to me with anything, no matter what,” Danny had told him once, “so if I’m not honest with her, how can I expect her to be honest with me?”

“So you just tell her, ‘sorry Monkey, Daddy had to shoot a couple of drug dealing assholes who were doping 14-year-old girls and selling them to prostitution rings, and that’s why I couldn’t come to your school play?”

“Seriously, McGarrett? Really? Jesus. No wonder you’re all ‘shoot first, ask questions later’—your conversational skills suck. At least if someone’s dead, you don’t have to talk to ‘em.” Danny had glared, rubbing his hand over his face and taking a deep breath before continuing. “No Steve, I tell my daughter that I had to catch bad guys who were hurting people. There’s honesty, and then there’s traumatizing her for life. Option two is bad, okay?” Steve had stifled a grin; he wasn’t _completely_ inept with people, he just didn’t see the point in not being direct or in playing games. And he might, _might_ have enjoyed pushing Danny’s buttons a little bit.

With a slight inclination of his head, Steve had indicated his understanding. Danny of course, had plowed ahead, deciding to drive the point home anyway. “I expect you to remember the difference between ‘telling Grace the truth’ and ‘terrorizing a 7-year-old’ just in case, God forbid, we’re ever in a situation where you have to have a serious discussion with my daughter. Because I swear to you, if you ever tell her _anything_ that causes her to have nightmares, I will set your sorry ass on _fire_ and roast marshmallows over your burning carcass! You got that?” Face red, hands on his hips and breathing hard, the man finally stopped yelling. And Steve hadn’t been able to help himself. He really, _really_ hadn’t.

“Got it. Bonfire on the beach at my house, and you like my ass. Hey, you bringing the marshmallows?” Steve had hollered after Danny as the frustrated man had stormed from the office.

Steve grinned, remembering his partner’s diatribe. _No nightmares, Danno, I promise._ Standing, lifting Grace into his arms and heading toward the car, he spoke quietly as he walked. “Gracie, I promise you, you’re going to be safe, and we’re going to find your daddy and bring him home.” Grace smiled back, hugging Steve. “Now, how about we get some dinner and head back to my house, ok? Kono and Uncle Chin were going to come by later and we don’t want to miss them.”

The little girl nodded. “I am kinda hungry. Can we go to Zippy’s? I want a chili moco.”

“Chili moco it is then,” Steve said, starting the car. “And how about s’mores for dessert?”

“Daddy and I have s’mores all the time. I like roasting marshmallows.”

 _Like father, like daughter_ , Steve thought as they pulled out of the parking lot.

***************************************

Jimmy Rosselli was a happy man. He was out of jail, enjoying beautiful tropical weather, and getting even with the cop who’d put him behind bars. True, the accommodations could have been nicer, but when you’re hell-bent on revenge, and kidnapping and torture are part of your vacation plans, five-star hotels aren’t really an option. Still, as non-descript, out of the way warehouses went, he’d seen worse back in Jersey—at least this one came with proximity to pineapple fields, and Jimmy had always loved fresh pineapple. Snatching the cop had gone a lot more smoothly than he expected. Danny Williams had been easy to find, and clearly hadn’t planned on being yanked from his car in the parking lot of Leonard’s Bakery. A tire iron to the back of the head and Williams was his for the taking. _Dumb cop never saw it coming,_ Rosselli thought _._ Looking at the man in front of him, bloody and bruised from the beatings he’d already received, Jimmy couldn’t help but gloat.

“Look at you. Not so tough without the badge and gun, are you?” he sneered, inclining his head at the objects in question sitting on the table across the warehouse. “You thought I’d forget? You thought I’d just sit in that hole and rot? I made _plans_ for you, cop. It was a matter of time before my lawyers got me out. And now here we are, in this tropical paradise, having us a lovely conversation. The Lord works in mysterious ways,” Rosselli cackled.

Danny grinned at him, broken but not beaten. “Yeah, He does Rosselli. And He’s gonna make sure my partner sends you to hell.”

The comment earned the Detective another blow to the jaw. “Keep it up. You won’t be laughing once your daughter gets here.”

“You leave Grace out of this!” Danny growled, struggling in vain against the cuffs that secured him to the chair. Rosselli laughed delightedly at Danny’s feeble attempt to free himself.

“You can’t save yourself, and you can’t save your daughter, _Detective_ ,” he sneered. “You’re all alone here. No one’s coming to help you; they don’t even know where to look.” Rosselli’s glee at Danny’s distress was tangible, curling around Danny like a well-fed snake. “They’re never going to—“ Rosselli stopped and turned as the warehouse door slid open.

“We got a problem, Jimmy,” one of Rosselli’s men said. Danny decided to call him Magilla, because he greatly resembled the cartoon gorilla. “His partner picked the kid up from school, some guy named McGarrett—and he’s not even a real cop. Some sort of Army guy.” Danny snorted at that comment.

“You think that’s funny, Williams?” Danny grinned, not even minding the pain of his bloody split lip.

“Navy. My partner’s _Navy_. And just in case kidnapping me wasn’t enough to convince him to kill your sorry ass, calling him _Army_ should just about seal the deal. He hates that,” Danny smirked.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass if he’s Popeye the god-damned sailor man, the moment he tries anything, he and your daughter are dead! It’s him against all of us, Williams. He doesn’t stand a chance and neither do you,” Rosselli raged. “Get the rest of the men together in the office,” he ordered, turning to Magilla. “We need to revise the plan.”

“What about him?” Magilla asked, inclining his head towards Danny.

“He’s handcuffed to the chair and shackled to the floor. He ain’t goin’ nowhere; it’s fine to leave him alone,” Rosselli said dismissively as he strode towards the office.

“I may not be as alone as you think,” Danny said quietly, remembering Steve’s words. He knew Steve would keep Grace safe. Now he just had to figure out how to get out of this mess and get back to Grace.

And back to Steve.

*****************************************************

Chin and Kono arrived at the McGarrett house to find a freshly-bathed Grace in her pajamas. The little girl had been fed, and her s’more-covered clothes were in the washing machine. The sight of Danny’s daughter, sitting quietly in Steve’s lap while he gently combed the tangles out of her still-damp hair rendered the cousins speechless.

Steve smirked.

“I do know how to use a comb, guys.”

Grace looked up, a wan smile for her dad’s friends. “Steve’s brushing my hair for me so it doesn’t get knots. Have you found my daddy yet?”

Kono knelt down to hug Grace, lifting her from Steve’s lap. “Not yet, sweetheart. But we know where to start looking, and we’re going to bring him home soon.” She glanced at Steve’s face, seeing by his expression how anxious he was to hear what they’d learned. “Why don’t you and I go read stories, and Uncle Chin and Steve can talk for a bit?”

Grace nodded her agreement as Kono set her down. Turning to the SEAL, she climbed back up into his lap and looped her arms around his neck. “I’m going to read stories with Kono now, Steve. I’ll be right down the hall if you need me,” she said seriously, looking into his eyes. “Don’t be sad. Danno loves you too.” With a kiss on the dumbfounded man’s cheek, she climbed off his lap and headed upstairs with a grinning Kono.

“So, do you need a moment to absorb the fact that Danno loves you, Steve, or can we just carve that in to a tree already and get on with things?” Chin gently teased, waving the folder in his hand. Giving his friend little more than a glancing smile, Steve stood from the couch and wandered out to the lanai. Chin had no choice but to follow. He wasn’t expecting Steve’s next move.

“I love Danny.” No preamble, no beating around the bush. In typical McGarrett fashion, the man had simply made a decision and gone full steam ahead with it.

 _Ladies and Gentlemen, the Tin Man has a heart._ Chin fought to contain his surprise as he tried to calm the obviously shaken man. “Yeah, I knew that, Steve. I wasn’t sure if you knew it though.”

Steve stared out at the ocean. He didn’t do feelings, and he’d been taught to suppress his emotions—they were irrational, dangerous, and more often than not, led to fatal errors. His dad was the perfect example; Steve loved his dad, and he made a mistake with Hesse. Hesse killed his father, and Steve’s theory was proven. Feelings were just _bad_ , especially when it came to a mission.

But then there was Danny. Danny loved his daughter. Danny followed her across the country, halfway around the world, and that love brought him—brought _both_ of them—into Steve’s life. And no matter how hard he wanted to convince himself otherwise, there was nothing about having Danny and Grace in his life that could ever be considered a mistake.

Unless Danny never knew how much he meant to Steve. But then that would be Steve’s mistake, too.

Steve tore his gaze from the waves and forced himself to look over at Chin. “I didn’t know I was in love with him, Chin. Or maybe I did, but I wouldn’t admit to it. It’s just, after my mom, it was easier to let the Navy take over. You know what the best part of SEAL training was for me? Learning how to create a mental strongbox. They teach you to do that, and its part of every mission prep. You create this steel box in your mind, and you just move all of your feelings and emotions into that box, and lock it up tight. Because if you allow yourself to be distracted by something as horrible as say, a child being shot, even for just a _second_ , you can compromise the entire team and the entire mission. So you keep going, even if another guy on the team gets hurt or killed. Yeah, it’s true that we never leave a man behind, but it’s also true that we don’t cry about it.”

Chin stood quietly—stunned, really, to see his friend openly admitting to feelings he never thought that Steve would actually acknowledge. He was sure that the Navy was both the best and worst thing to ever happen to Steve McGarrett. True, Steve had grown into a strong, confident man—but part of Chin missed the laid-back boy who had been lethal with a surfboard and was always quick with a grin. This Steve spent a lot of time with his arms crossed over his chest, instead of draped over a friend’s shoulder—almost as if he thought he had to hug himself, because no one else was going to do it.

“Then I met Danny. He’s hands down the most emotional person I’ve ever met in my life. He’s not ashamed of it, either. He embraces it all—the pain, the anger, the joy, the love, all of it, and it makes him a better cop,” Steve continued. “He doesn’t make stupid mistakes; he’s saved my life so many times, and he always has my back. So I thought maybe, _maybe_ , the Navy had it wrong. Maybe you don’t need that strongbox after all.”

“So Danny’s your instructor then? Your tour guide on the trip back to the land of feelings and emotions?” Chin asked with a gentle grin, elbowing his friend in the arm to lighten the mood.

Steve rolled his eyes. “You make him sound like Yoda.”

“Not at all. Yoda was a lot less prone to rants about the many wonders of New Jersey.”

“I am telling him you said that.”

“Go right ahead, I’ll own that one. Back on topic. Danny and feelings—namely yours. You love him and you’re lost without him. Now what?” Chin asked.

“I wouldn’t say I’m _lost_.”

“Semantics. Quit avoiding the question.”

Steve sighed. “Seeing the blood in Danny’s car, knowing it was his . . . it was like the bottom fell out of my world. I’ve been trying to be more—expressive, I guess the word is. Not quite so closed up. But seeing the car just did something to me. I need to lock my emotions down to get through this. I’m no good to Danny, to Grace, or to the team if I fall apart.”

“You need to learn balance, Steve. Emotion and logic can coexist. Locking up the emotions is only going to hurt you in the long run.”

“I know. I’ll lose Danny and Grace. I’ll lose everything. I’ve seen it with the guys who retire from the teams. They either learn to let themselves feel again, or they lose their families. There’s no middle ground. Normal people don’t want to live with emotionally closed-off robots. You know what _really_ pisses me off though, Chin?” Steve asked, his voice cracking a bit as he looked at his friend. Chin shook his head.

Steve took a deep breath before continuing. “The Navy trains us to be like this, but when they’re done with us? We have to figure it out on our own. We have to figure out how to undo everything they’ve taught us to be. I don’t want to be one of the ones who ends up alone because he can’t adapt, Chin. I don’t want to be that guy.”

Chin’s heart broke for his friend. “Seems like you know what you do want; you just need some help getting there.”

Steve stood up straight and looked Chin in the eye. “What I need is Danny. We are going to find him if I have to tear this island apart piece by piece. And once he’s safe, I’m going to make the bastard who took Danny wish that he were dead. I’m going to tell Danny that I love him, that I want him to move in with me, and that we’ll fix up a room for Gracie. I’m going to tell him that I want us to be a family, and I won’t give up until he’s reasonable and does things my way.”

Chin chuckled. “Steve McGarrett, you are not a man who does anything by halves. Go big or go home, eh, brah?”

“Yeah. I _am_ home, Chin,” he said, gesturing to the house behind him.

“It’s an expression, Steve.”

Steve grinned. “Really? I had no idea.” Chin rolled his eyes.

“Get in the damn house, McGarrett. We have work to do.”

*****************************************************

“Jimmy Rosselli. He’s your garden-variety Mafioso type with an extra interest in personal injury—the personal injury of others that is, not his own. Newark PD was all over the guy, but didn’t have enough to put him away,” Chin pointed to the tall, dark-haired Italian in the photo he set in front of Steve. “That’s him in the middle; the other three guys with him spend their time cleaning up Jimmy’s messes. Apparently, he’s not the brightest bulb in the string.”

The three task force members were gathered around the table in Steve’s dining room, talking quietly to keep from waking a sleeping Grace. “The guys in Newark were having a heck of a time making anything stick—one of Rosselli’s minions was always around to cloud the evidence. Our boy Danny though, he figured out that Rosselli liked his whiskey. Liked it so much that he’d have a few at his local tavern and drive himself home. I don’t have to tell you what happened next,” Chin grinned.

“Let me guess—DUI?” Steve queried.

“Yep. 3rd strike too. Mandatory jail time. And since Rosselli was pulled over for a moving violation for which he was subsequently arrested, his car was fair game for a search, which turned up all the evidence needed to put the guy away for 20 on drug trafficking charges.”

Steve smiled proudly at Danny’s ingenuity. “That’s my Danno.”

“ **Your** Danno?” Kono asked with a grin. “Not **our** Danno? And I thought we were a team. A family, man. Ohana. That’s cold, Boss,” she teased gently.

“Fine. He’s **our** Danno when we’re on the clock. The rest of the time, he’s mine and Gracie’s.”

“Ladies, if you’re done negotiating custody, can we please get back to this?” Chin questioned dryly.

“Please. So, if this Rosselli’s supposed to be in prison for 20 years, what’s he doing here? How’d he get out? And where is he hiding now?” asked Steve.

“He’s out on a technicality, pending appeal. Not Danny’s mistake,” Kono interjected, sensing Steve was about to jump to his partner’s defense. “The prosecutor neglected to turn over some evidence to Rosselli’s lawyers; don’t know if it was intentional or an oversight, but the judge set aside the conviction and ordered a new trial. Rosselli isn’t supposed to leave Jersey though, so we’ve got him for violating his parole. TSA had him coming through Honolulu International two days ago, and cameras in the parking garage got the plate of the car he left in. We’ve had an APB out for Rosselli, his associates, and his car since this afternoon.”

“And?”

“Got a couple of hits on our way over here,” said Chin. “The most promising looks to be near the old Del Monte pineapple farm on the Campbell Estate, out near Ewa. We spotted the car on one of the traffic cams, and a patrol car followed them out to the farm. We’ve got SWAT on standby; they’re watching the place, but so far we have no confirmation that Danny or Rosselli are inside.”

Steve stood from his chair. “So we go in now, take the place apart, and see what we can find. I’d bet my last paycheck that’s where he’s got Danno. Get SWAT to check the place with infrared, see how many bodies we got in there, and—“

“Woah, brah. Aren’t you forgetting something?” Steve shook his head. He knew where Danny was and he was going to get him.

“Chin, Danno’s there. I know it. God only knows what’s been done to him, but I’m not sitting here and waiting for them to kill him. I’ll never being able to look Grace in the eye if I do nothing.”

“Grace. You mean the little girl asleep upstairs in your room?” Kono asked gently, propping her chin up on one hand and reaching out to rest the other on Steve’s arm. “I’m all for going in hot and getting Danny out of there, but let’s make sure he’s actually there first, yeah? And I’m thinking it would be bad to leave Grace here alone while we do it.”

Steve combed his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Dammit. I can’t believe I forgot about Grace.”

Chin cut him off before he could go any further. “Hold up, Steve. You’re all set to rush off because you want to bring Danny home to his daughter, and that’s a good thing. But, like I told you earlier, you got to learn to balance the logic and the emotion instead of just shutting down the emotion all the time. Right now brah? You’re back on emotion. Bring some of that SEAL logic back in to the game, and we’re golden. And you know, maybe a few hours sleep wouldn’t be a bad idea, either—falling asleep in the middle of a gunfight is bad, yeah?”

“I can shoot a walnut off your head at 300 yards after being awake for four days Chin. With only a rock and a rubber band,” Steve informed him stubbornly.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Yours is bigger,” Chin said shortly, his patience finally beginning to wear thin. “Some of us need our beauty sleep though McGarrett, so cut us some slack already. SWAT’s on it; they get confirmation that Danny’s there or have any reason to move in, they’ll do it. We move in and Danny’s not there? We risk spooking Rosselli and losing our best lead. It’s 2 a.m. I’m beat. Kono’s about to faceplant into her coffee and neither of us wants to explain to my Auntie how her world champion surfer daughter managed to drown in your living room. The whole logic and emotion thing? Let me break it down for you in terms you’ll understand—and believe me, I never thought I’d be telling you of all people to rein in the emotion. You ever watch Star Trek?”

Steve nodded.

“Good. Less Kirk, more Spock. Clear?” Chin’s tone left no room for argument.

Steve grudgingly agreed; Chin had made his point. Giving in gracefully, though, _really_ wasn’t his style.

“Yes dear, point made. And for the record? The Vulcan neck pinch _totally_ rocks.” Steve grinned cheekily.

Chin glared balefully at him. “I am too old for this shit,” he muttered, turning on his heel and walking out to the lanai. “I’m sleeping in your hammock, McGarrett.”

“I’m sleeping on your table, Boss,” a nearly asleep Kono slurred.

 _And I’m checking on my Grace and getting some sleep so I can bring our Danno home_ , Steve decided as he headed for the stairs.

************************************

Kono stumbled into the kitchen, stretching and trying to work out the kink in her neck from sleeping in a dining room chair. “Should’ve moved to the couch,” she mumbled, reaching for a mug and the coffee pot.

“Morning cuz. Ready to move?” Chin smiled at her.

“You are way too awake.”

“I’ve had 3 cups of coffee already. Just waiting on you.”

“Where’s the boss?

“Gone. SWAT confirmed Danny and Rosselli are in the warehouse. Steve said he’d meet us there, and left to take Grace somewhere safe.”

Kono chugged the rest of her coffee. “Let me brush my hair and teeth, and I’m good to go.”

************************************

Danny had spent a long, uncomfortable night shackled to a chair. Thanks to his hands being pulled tightly behind his back, the pain from his broken ribs was nearly unbearable, and breathing wasn’t all that easy, either. His left eye was swollen shut, his nose was probably broken along with a couple of teeth, and he figured if Grace saw him now, she wouldn’t even recognize her father. He was also pretty sure he had a concussion, but didn’t think he had a skull fracture—yet. That could change if Magilla decided to make ‘conversation’ again.

The knee had taken a beating, too, and this time, he couldn’t even blame McGarrett for it. He couldn’t blame him for any of this; he was just grateful that Steve had his baby, because that meant she was safe. Danny knew his partner loved his little girl deeply, had seen it on his face the first time he had taken Grace swimming. He hadn’t heard what she’d said to Steve, but he saw the impact her words had had on him—his face had lit up with such surprise, such pure joy that Danny hadn’t been able to help himself. He’d fallen in love with Steve on the spot. And he was doomed, because he was in love with a batshit-crazy, emotionally stunted, military-trained assassin who kept himself caged in the emotional equivalent of a steel shell. It was simple, really; all Danny had to do was figure out how to penetrate steel.

So instead of the direct approach (which he personally believed he excelled in, thank you very much), Danny tried subtlety. Continuity. Consistency. And ties—lots of ties, because they clearly irked the hell out of Steve, and Danny would take any kind of emotion from the man at this point. It didn’t hurt that a pissed-off Steve was incredibly hot, either. Danny even played dirty, God forgive him and he’d go to confession later, but he used Grace to get closer to Steve, since the man had already proven he had a soft spot for the little girl. There were times when Danny thought that maybe it was all working; Steve would get this expression on his face, like he thought Danny and Grace were the answer to everything he’d ever need in this world.

Then the look would fade as quickly as it had appeared, and Danny told himself Steve just had indigestion.

He shifted in the chair, trying to relieve the pressure on his ribs, but only managed to aggravate his knee more. It was just his luck that it was Jimmy Rosselli, of all the people he’d put away, who’d come after him. The man was the most disorganized son of a bitch he’d ever arrested, but what he lacked in organization he more than made up for in pure cruelty. He genuinely delighted in inflicting pain. Rosselli had spent the majority of the night arguing with his goons about restructuring the plan—whatever the hell the plan was. He knew Rosselli had planned to snatch Danny and his daughter, and beat him to a bloody pulp in some twisted bid for revenge. But after that, Jimmy was a bit unclear. The fact that Jimmy couldn’t get his hands on Grace had clearly frustrated the man so badly that he couldn’t move on to the next steps in his brilliantly undefined plan. Instead, he’d taken to beating Danny at regular intervals. Danny knew he could handle the pain, though, as long as his daughter was safe.

The night had passed in something of a pattern. Rosselli would argue with his goon squad, drink, and take a break to come out and rough Danny up some more, before returning to the abandoned warehouse’s office to argue with his goons. Apparently, they couldn’t decide on the best time to snatch Grace from McGarrett’s house, nor could they figure out whether a land or water assault would be more effective. Danny was so sick of hearing the arguments that he was tempted to offer to help them with their plan, if only they’d just shut up and get on with it. He knew these guys didn’t stand a chance against Steve, and he was sick and tired of being chained to a chair.

It had been more than 24 hours since Danny had been yanked from his car and brained with a tire iron. He was hot, thirsty, and pretty sure he’d managed to wet himself during one of the beatings he’d endured (he’d taken a particularly hard kick to the bladder) but was trying to convince himself it was just sweat. The sunrise just meant another day of stifling heat in the abandoned warehouse. Being chained up in an old decaying building that reeked of rotten, fermented pineapples was giving a new meaning to Danny’s idea of a ‘pineapple-infested hellhole.’

And if the smell wasn’t bad enough, there was light flashing into his eyes. “Fantastic,” Danny muttered, squinting and trying to turn his head from the piercing beam of light. “Because flashing lights accompany the pain from a concussion so nicely, really. Just what I need to ramp the agony up a few more notches, random flashes of li—.”

Danny stopped mid-rant. The flashes of light were definitely not random. Steve wasn’t the only Boy Scout on their team; Danny had done his time in the scouts too, and his memory of Morse code found the pattern in those glints.

D-A-N-N-O.

Danny nearly sobbed with relief. “Oh God, _Steve,_ ” he whispered fervently. Steve had found him. Steve was here. Hoping the man could see him, he began to mouth the words ‘can’t move’ over and over, hoping to tell the team that whatever they were planning, he wouldn’t be much help. And then he began to pray that whatever they did, they did soon. If he kept to his schedule, Rosselli and his goon squad were due to return for another round of beatings in the very near future.

************************************

“Boss, I got him. He looks bad, but he’s conscious. He’s handcuffed to the chair and leg-shackled to the floor. He knows we’re here, too—keeps saying ‘can’t move’ over and over.” Kono relayed the info to Steve from her position, keeping a close eye on Danny through the scope of her rifle.

Steve let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Kono, tell him it’s ok. Tell him to stay still, I’m coming for him.”

“Roger that, boss.”

Chin quirked an eyebrow at McGarrett. “You’re coming for him? Just you, McGarrett, all by your lonesome?” he asked, teasing just a little bit. “What are you, his knight in shining armor?”

“Yes Chin. I’m his knight in shining armor. And you’re my trusty steed. Now turn around and let me hop on your back; I’m tired and I could use a ride,” Steve deadpanned.

The snickers of the SWAT team behind the two men reminded them they weren’t alone, but Steve’s resulting ‘I can kill you with my brain’ glare shut them up in a hurry. Hoping to get everyone back on track, the team leader spoke up.

“What’s the plan, Commander?”

“The plan is to get Detective Williams out alive, however you have to do it. I don’t care if Rosselli or any of his men live through this, and I’m pretty comfortable saying the Newark PD won’t shed any tears if we ship these bastards home in body bags instead of handcuffs and leg irons. Hell, from what we know, his family probably won’t even be all that upset; they’re tired of cleaning up his mess. Any of these guys shoot, you shoot to kill. But the Detective doesn’t get hurt. Are we clear?”

“Crystal, sir.”

“Boss! Get ready to move fast, Rosselli and his men are about to leave the office!”

“Copy that, Kono. You heard the lady, guys. Let’s go.”

Danny saw the door to Rosselli’s office begin to open and braced himself for more pain. _Any time, McGarrett, any time. Not like I’m going anywhere_. Taking a breath and closing his eyes, he waited for the beatings to start.

“FREEZE! HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT! GET YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR NOW!

Then things really got interesting.

************************************

Steve knew this wasn’t like any of his previous SEAL missions. For starters, the targets were the most inept group of people he’d ever encountered. Rosselli and his men were firing wildly at anything that moved; fortunately, their aim seemed to be as bad as their planning skills. They did turn out to be pretty good at hiding, which meant Chin and the SWAT guys were now in search mode, leaving Danny’s rescue to Steve.

The shouts of the SWAT team and the gunplay barely registered in Steve’s mind; he was too focused on getting across the warehouse to his partner. That was the other big difference; he was focused on _Danny—_ not some faceless hostage. And in the end, with the targets mostly neutralized, Steve simply did what he had to do to save Danny’s life and his own heart in the process.

He put himself between Danny and the shooter who was firing at him, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

************************************

“You sat on me.”

“Danny. I couldn’t, I mean, you were _handcuffed_ , and the man was aiming at your _head_ , and I just. . .” Steve stammered, trying to explain.

“Yes Steven. I was chained. To a chair. And rather than dragging the chair out of the way, or tipping it over, or here’s a thought— **uncuffing me** —you simply sat down. In my lap. You.Sat.On.Me.”

Steve sighed.

“What, that’s it? No argument? No lecture on how it was a strategic maneuver designed to give you the optimum tactical advantage in the situation? Seriously, Steven, I’m not even getting an _aneurysm face_ out of this?” Danny took a breath, wincing from the pain in his ribs, and studied his partner. Kicked puppy was not a good look on the man.

“Unbelievable. You look like a guy waiting for his last meal. Come on, Steve, give me something to work with here.” Steve shifted uncomfortably under the heat of Danny’s gaze.

“Nothing? Really, McGarrett, I’m crushed. Last time a guy sat in my lap, I got a nice show and they got a twenty, because I, my friend, unlike you, am a generous tipper. It was bad enough that I had to wait to be rescued like some tortured heroine in those bodice-ripper novels Rachel likes to read. But did I get ‘Tarzan Steve’ swinging in on a chain to rescue me, or even ‘Ninja Steve’ karate-chopping the bad guys to bits? No. No I did not. Do you know what I _did_ get, Steven?”

“Rescued?”

Danny glared. “ _Not_ the answer I was looking for. What I _got_ , Steven, was you. Sitting on my lap. I got La-z-boy Ken when I was expecting G. I. Joe.”

“No one knows how you suffer, Danny.”

“Yes, I know. That is why I have to tell them. No one understands what it’s like to ride herd on your crazy ass, babe.” Danny rested his head back against the gurney; he was clearly running out of steam. “But hey, it’s not a total loss. I mean, look at you, you got to take your shirt off again, and I know how much you enjoy that.”

Once again, Steve and Danny were sharing an ambulance while the EMTs patched them up. Danny was lying on the gurney, IV in his arm. Steve was seated next to him, aforementioned shirt off, an ice pack strapped to his chest with an ace wrap where his vest had absorbed the bullets’ impact. He had so much he needed, and wanted, to say to Danny; he just had no idea where to start. So he simply stared at the man, smiling a bit and reveling in the fact that Danny was alive and apparently felt well enough to bitch at him.

Danny found the silent staring more than a bit creepy. “McGarrett. Yo. Super Seal. You in there? Can you talk?” he asked, waving his fingers in front of his partner’s face.

Steve nodded.

“Are you _going_ to talk?”

Steve nodded again, reaching out to grab Danny’s hand. Danny hissed in pain.

“Oh god, sorry! I’m sorry Danno, I didn’t mean. . .” Steve trailed off, dropping Danny’s hand.

“No! It’s okay, it’s just, my arms were behind my back so long, my hands are kinda numb. Pins and needles, and it just hurts a bit. It’s ok, really Steve.” Danny reached his hand out to Steve, who shyly took it back in his. He appeared fascinated with their intertwined fingers. Danny was curious about the hand-holding, but figured he wouldn’t get an answer out of his partner before the painkillers the medics had given him kicked in. He decided to stick with the obvious.

“So. You gonna explain about sitting on me?”

Steve sighed. No matter what explanation he offered, Danny wasn’t going to listen. The truth was that there had been no time to unlock the cuffs, nor anything close enough to hide Danny behind. Knocking him over would only have done more damage to his ribs and knee. Since he hadn’t been willing to let Danny die, the bullet-to-the-vest had been the best of Steve’s limited options.

The fact that the position had, in fact, given him the best vantage point from which to empty a few rounds into Rosselli and a couple of his goons had just been pure luck. The six or so grenades he’d lobbed in to the place—after making sure SWAT was clear—he attributed to being thorough, in the event that SWAT had missed someone. Also, it was great training experience for the fire department; you never knew when a large fire might sweep through downtown Honolulu. That was going to be his rationalization to the Governor when she asked.

“It was the only option I had at the time. And before you ask, Grace is safe. She’s with the Governor right now.”

“You left her with the _Governor_? What, was Kamekona busy?”

“No, but . . . these guys, they wouldn’t have thought twice about taking Gracie from someone like him,” Steve said quietly. “Crashing a state office building full of cops though, that would attract too much attention. And she’s not really with the Governor, she’s just in her office. One of the Governor’s aides is watching her. I didn’t have a lot of options, and this seemed like the best one. She’s safe, I promise. You don’t have to worry, Danno.”

“I wasn’t worried. Once I knew Grace was with you, I knew you wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”

Steve felt his cheeks grow warm at the compliment; taking a deep breath, he looked up at his partner’s face.

Danny was out cold. “Guess those IV drugs kicked in,” Steve murmured. He carefully untangled their fingers before standing and stepping down from the ambulance, yanking off the ice pack and shrugging his shirt back on. Spotting Chin and Kono, he headed over to meet him.

“How’s Danny?” Kono asked.

“Asleep; the pain meds have taken effect. They’re going to transport him in a few; I’m going to ride with him. What’s the status? Where’s Rosselli?” Steve asked.

Chin snorted. “The status, brah? Oh, everything’s _fine_. Look around,” he said, gesturing at the scene. “Half the HPD is out here rounding up Rosselli’s guys; the HFD nearly has the fire from the warehouse you torched under control, but the pineapple fields are dry, so now they’re trying to keep the fire from spreading. And Rosselli’s alive, but barely. EMS isn’t sure he’ll make it to the hospital. All in all, I’d say it’s your standard Five-0 crime scene—controlled chaos at its best.” Chin’s sarcasm was hard to miss.

“Great. I knew you’d have it under control.” Steve said, choosing to let Chin’s dig fly over his head. “I want to see Rosselli.”

Chin thought about arguing with him, but the set of Steve’s jaw convinced him otherwise. “So this is your aneurysm face. I always wondered,” he mused. Steve continued to stare. “Right. Bloody mobster at two o’clock,” Chin said, pointing to an ambulance across the way.

Steve wove through the crowd of SWAT, Police, Fire, and EMS personnel surrounding the old warehouse. Chin and Kono caught up to him as he was standing over the gurney holding the bleeding man. Rosselli’s eyes were focused on Steve, but the oxygen mask over his face kept him from speaking. Steve stood there for a moment staring at the man.

“Commander, I’m sorry, but we need to transport him.”

“In a minute.” Steve was studying Rosselli intently now, the strength of his glare clearly disconcerting to the injured man.

“But Commander . . .” the EMT trailed off as Steve began to speak.

“Mr. Rosselli, I have to say I’m disappointed,” he said quietly. “You went through a great deal of trouble to get here, and in the end, you weren’t much of a challenge. You had the audacity to try to take what was mine. I had the pleasure of shooting you for it.”

Rosselli’s eyes grew wide; his breathing more labored.

“Danny Williams is mine. Grace Williams is mine. They’re part of my family. Mi familia, I believe you would call it. You tried to take them from me. People who target my family shouldn’t have the luxury of an easy death. Filth like you, your death should be a warning to anyone who thinks about going after what’s mine,” Steve continued, his casual demeanor belying the seriousness of his threat. “And I had such plans for you, Mr. Rosselli. Shooting you was easy, and I _really_ didn’t want you to have it easy.” Steve paused, considering his next words carefully. A terrifying smile began to slowly spread across his face.

“I thought I’d repay your kindness to Danny Williams. Chain you up like a wild animal and beat you to a pulp, just as you did my partner. And when you couldn’t cry or beg anymore, I was going to slowly cut your balls off with a teaspoon, roast them in a pit kalua pig style, and hang them on a stake in my yard to ward off evil spirits,” Steve said conversationally.

The group of first responders gathered around them shifted uncomfortably. Kono grinned; Chin hoped she wasn’t taking notes.

“So, you can see how being forced to shoot you is something of a letdown for me,” Steve lamented. “Frankly, I thought you’d be dead by now, but you seem determined to disappoint me at every turn. So let me make myself clear.” He leaned over the man, speaking directly in to his ear. “If you somehow manage to survive this, I’d strongly advise you to forget Danny and Grace Williams exist. Because when I get home, I’m digging the luau pit in my yard, pulling out my dullest, dirtiest teaspoon, and sharpening that stake for your balls. And next time? I won’t give you the courtesy of a bullet first. I trust we understand each other?”

Rosselli blinked. Steve backed up, turned, and smiled at Kono and a truly stunned Chin. “See? We have an understanding.”

“I am never eating kalua pig again,” muttered Chin. Kono was still grinning as Steve headed back to the ambulance that housed his partner.

************************************

Steve saw Danny safely to the hospital, where the doctors assured him it would be a while before Danny was up for guests. As much as he wanted to stay and make sure that his partner was going to be alright, he knew that more than anything, Danny would want to see Grace. The thought of reuniting his family made Steve’s decision an easy one. Leaving Danny in the doctors’ capable hands (and under the watchful eyes of Chin and Kono), he went to get Gracie.

************************************

The searing pain in his chest brought Danny awake with a start. For a moment, he thought he was still in the warehouse, until the beeping of the heart monitor got his attention.

 _Right. Hospital. Jesus, the ribs. Why do these people always go for the ribs?_

Cracking an eye, he took stock of his surroundings. It was dark outside his window, so he’d clearly been sleeping a while. He’d obviously managed to score a private room, because his was the only bed in there. Danny put that in the ‘win’ column for the day. Nothing worse than having a concussion and being stuck with a roommate who snored. Or one who felt the need to crank the volume up on the TV. And there was Steve, passed out in the standard hospital-issue recliner with Grace curled up asleep on his chest. Danny smiled; all was right with his world. Closing his eyes, he drifted off again.

************************************

When he next opened his eyes, he found a ridiculously alert and highly caffeinated Steve McGarrett staring back at him.

“You’re awake.”

“Good morning to you too, Commander Obvious.” Danny looked around the room. “Where’s my daughter? She was here before. . . “

“You were awake earlier? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because you were sleeping, genius, and so was Grace. You think I’m gonna wake up my daughter just so you can bask in the dulcet tones of my voice?”

“I see they didn’t break your sarcasm.”

“Jersey sarcasm doesn’t break. It just bides its time and waits for the proper opportunity to levy a verbal beatdown on an unsuspecting victim. Now, where’s Grace?”

“Kono just came and got her. You weren’t awake yet, and I didn’t think it was good for her to sit around and watch you sleep. They’re not surfing Danny, don’t worry. Kono said they were going to have ‘girl time,’ whatever that means,” he shrugged. “Did I make a mistake? Should I have kept her here?”

Danny took the opportunity to study his partner. Something was _definitely_ off. Steve McGarrett never second-guessed himself. “No, no. You made the right call. You ok?”

Steve cocked his head to the side, his forehead crumpled in confusion. “Why wouldn’t I be ok?”

“It’s just, you seem. . . .off.”

“Off? No, I’m fine.”

“Fine? You’re fine. Really, Steven? Because you do not look like a man who is fine. Unless we’re using that alternate definition of the word.”

“What alternate definition?”

“The one wherein ‘fine’ is an acronym for Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional. Because that definition totally fits you right now. So I’m going to ask again, nicely, because I am your friend and your partner, and I give a damn. Are you ok?”

Steve laughed. Even beaten to hell, Danny was going to give him grief. “Yes. I’m fine. I’m great, actually. You’re alive, and safe, and feeling well enough to give me a bunch of attitude that I really don’t need this morning, but it’s all _fine_ because I love you. Well, really, it’s more like I’m _in_ love with you.”

Danny gaped at him.

Steve’s mouth quirked up at the corner in a self-deprecating smile. “I guess I finally found a way to shut you up, huh?” Rising from the chair, he gave Danny’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Look, this doesn’t have to change anything. I’ve felt this way for a while, even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself, and it hasn’t hurt our partnership in the slightest. I don’t expect you to feel the same way; I mean, God, why would you? What is it you always say? ‘Emotionally repressed’ right?”

Danny winced at Steve’s words. “But you were gone, and you didn’t know that I felt this way,” Steve went on. “And the only thing that terrified me more than admitting that I loved you was the fact that I may never get a chance to tell you that. So, now I’ve told you. And I should probably go so you can rest; I’ll bring Grace back later to see you.” He turned and headed towards the door. And Danny finally found his voice.

“Unbelievable.” Steve turned and looked at him questioningly.

“You honestly were going to tell me that, and just _leave_? Jesus Christ, Steve. You and I are going to spend some serious, quality time working on those mammal-to-mammal skills of yours. You don’t just declare your undying love for a guy and walk out, especially when said recipient of your heartfelt declaration is presently incapable of either shouting at you or running you down. Get your ass back over here.”

Steve laughed nervously. “Just my ass, or can the rest of me come too?”

“Of course that’s what you pick up on. Would you please come over here so I don’t have to work so hard to talk?” Danny patted the bed next to him. Steve crossed the room and sat down gingerly; Danny reached for his hand and wove their fingers together.

“Thank you. Jesus, this breathing thing is overrated,” Danny grumbled. “You’re an idiot. And you’re freaking out, and it hurts me to breathe and therefore talk, so I’m going to keep this short. I’m sorry this has been so traumatic for you, but I’m not sorry that you figured that you felt this way about me. Because I’ve been in love with you for a while now, and it’s a pretty miserable place to be when you think you’re all alone out there.”

Now it was Steve’s turn to stare, speechless. “Well, this is new. Tell me, Steven, am I going to get ‘deer-in-the-headlights Steve’ now every time I say I love you? Feel free to speak at any time here.”

“I want to kiss you.”

“Wow, you’re totally going with the direct approach now, aren’t you? I am actually in favor of said kissing, very much so. In fact, if we’re being honest with each other right now, which is really the only way this relationship is going to work, I can admit that I _might_ have spent a considerable amount of time over the past several months cataloging all the places that I want to kiss you,” Danny said, watching as a surprised smile lit up his partner’s face.

“Like on the couch in my office, or maybe in the hammock on my lanai? Tell me that hellhole apartment of yours never figured in to your plans.”

Danny rolled his eyes. “I was thinking more along the lines of some more personal geography. Like the spot on your chest above your heart where that scar is. And at the edge of your jaw, right where it meets your ear. And though you have this incredibly fabulous habit of taking off your shirt, which I both sincerely appreciate and really hate, you’re really not big on taking off your pants. So I figured if I pay very close, personal attention to that spot just above your waistband with my tongue, you might be encouraged to remove them too.” Danny sat back, out of breath finally as his lungs and ribs renegotiated his air intake.

McGarrett’s breathing wasn’t any better. “Jesus Danny. Your timing sucks,” he rasped.

Danny grinned evilly. “As do I. Swallow too. But only if you’ve been a really, really good boy.”

Steve groaned, and leaned over to gently rest his forehead on Danny’s shoulder. “You’re killing me here.”

“Yeah, well, welcome to my life these past few months. I’ve been pretty honest with myself about my feelings, so I’ve had plenty time to think about the various ways we could be spending quality time together. You’re apparently the one with some catching up to do. Sadly, I am not in any position to be able to act on my plans right now, so I’m sharing my misery with you.” Danny had a hard time masking the smugness in his tone.

“I never pegged you for a sadist,” Steve grumbled into Danny’s neck. Danny chuckled, running his fingers through Steve’s hair.

“That I am most assuredly not, my friend. I do not get off on inflicting pain. I am merely trying to help you catch up, so that when I _am_ able to act on this, we’re on the same page.”

“How very generous of you.”

“I know. I’m a generous kind of guy. And for the record, if my lips weren’t split open in like twelve places and pretty much numb, I would most definitely be kissing you now.”

Steve lifted his head and gazed at the battered man’s face. “There are a few places where I could . . . I think maybe right there,” he whispered, pressing a tender kiss to Danny’s jaw. “And maybe here and here,” he continued, kissing the corner of Danny’s eye before placing a last gentle kiss on the tip of Danny’s broken nose. “There. All better.”

Danny closed his eyes. “God, Steven. You don’t do anything by half, do you?”

Steve smiled. “Chin said the same thing, so I guess not. But I know what I need, and I know what I don’t want. I need you, and I don’t want to be without you and Grace for even another minute. I know I’m not good with feelings, and that was fine when I was still a SEAL, but it won’t work for me now. I guess what I’m saying is that I want to learn if you’re willing to help me.”

“I think you’re pretty good with the blunt, honest, in-your-face approach. Just, you know—don’t do the strategic retreat part afterwards.”

“SEALs don’t retreat, Danno.”

“So what? That move was just a McGarrett thing?”

Steve glared. “I was trying to give you time to think.”

“Don’t you think you’ve over-thought this enough for the both of us?”

“Jesus Danno, does everyone get the amount of grief from you that I get?”

“Nope. Feel special. I reserve my most detailed rants for you. Otherwise, there’s way too much of a chance for you to misinterpret things.”

“Anything else that’s totally reserved for me, Detective?” Steve asked coyly, blatantly perusing Danny’s sheet-covered body.

“Wow, now you’re openly flirting. And if you find me attractive in my present black, blue, and broken condition, you must really have it bad. Fine. All this is yours. In like, two weeks. When I can actually breathe again.”

“I can be patient.”

“Sure you can, babe. Because when I count the many virtues of Steven J. McGarrett, patience is right up there at the top of the list. Right behind ‘always waits for backup’ and ‘never behaves irrationally.’ Now, do me a favor and go find my daughter, please. I really, really need to see her.”

Steve grinned. “I figured you weren’t going to hold out much longer. She and Kono are probably done with their ‘girl time’ by now, anyways.” He leaned over and kissed Danny’s forehead before turning towards the door. “Oh, and for the record, given the proper motivation? I can be a very, very patient man. And in the meantime, I’ll just borrow some of your highly inventive ideas to keep me company.”

“Of course you will. Tell me, just for my own edification here Steven, when you go home tonight and crawl into what will very shortly be _our_ bed, which hand are you going to use? Because I’d have guessed your right, but you’re just contrary enough to go for the less dominant hand, aren’t you? Drag it out a bit, maybe?” Danny was so very, very confident in his assessment. He had Steve _exactly_ where he wanted him.

“I don’t know, Danno. I’ll call and let you listen. You can tell me,” Steve replied smugly as the door closed behind him.

Danny groaned. “And that is why you never play chicken with a SEAL.”

************************************

“So,” Kono said casually, kicking back in Steve’s hammock, “exactly how much trouble are we in with the Governor for destroying that warehouse and making half of Ewa Beach smell like a burned pineapple upside-down cake?”

“ _We_ , cuz? _We_ didn’t lob a half-dozen grenades into the building.”

“Well, no. But. We _might_ have hit those old fuel tanks with a few rounds from a high-powered sniper rifle. Possibly.” Kono grinned sheepishly.

“Fantastic.” Chin’s tone made it obvious that he thought the situation was anything but. “McGarrett, you are the worst role model ever.”

Steve’s expression of glee was just a bit too smug. “I’ll have you know that there are plenty of people who would consider me an excellent role model.”

“Yeah? Name two.”

“Cyclops and Dirty Harry,” Danny interjected as he lumbered out onto the lanai. “Mutant authority figure who can blow things up just by looking at them meets cop with no fear of obliterating legal boundaries in pursuit of his own brand of justice. They’d love McGarrett. Of course, we follow his lead, so that doesn’t say much for us either.”

Steve was on his feet before Danny finished speaking; he gently guided his partner down onto a lounge chair. “What are you doing up? You’re supposed to be resting!”

“I can rest just fine out here, thank you very much. I want to know what’s going on. It’s been four days and you should have everything wrapped up by now. Or were you waiting for me to do the paperwork on my own abduction?”

Steve smiled proudly. “Nope. I did it.”

“You did paperwork? Did I die?” Danny’s expression was a cross between disbelief and horror. “See, now that actually terrifies me. You don’t do paperwork. Paperwork bores you. It requires you to actually sit at a desk and fill out forms, in triplicate, and provide legal justification for every insane stunt you pull. And no matter how you try to spin it, babe, ‘he needed killing’ is not a valid legal defense.”

“Chin helped with the legal bullshit.”

“And that proves my point. Thanks for the assist, Chin.”

Chin smiled and gave Danny a little wave. “ _He mea iki_ , brah.”

Kono wasn’t ready to drop it, however. “How mad is the Governor, exactly?”

Steve shrugged. “Surprisingly, not as mad as I was expecting. Hand-delivering seven of ‘New Jersey’s Most Wanted’ to the Marshals for transport tends to ease a lot of hurt feelings. The fact that four of the seven were in body bags just made the Marshals’ job easier, so they were pretty happy. Jimmy Rosselli has been so terrified by his near-death experience that he’s begging to go back to prison, so Newark PD is thrilled. As far as the warehouse goes, it was vacant because it was due for demolition. The owners weren’t even upset about the fields burning; turns out they do that before replanting anyways, so we actually did them a favor. And most importantly, we got Danny back. So, while she would have been happier not to have been able to see the blaze in Ewa from the State House, we did our jobs and that’s all she’s going to say on the matter.”

Chin shook his head. “Only you could blow up a warehouse and get thanked for it.” Steve just grinned.

“And on that note, we’re leaving. Come on, cuz, we can go celebrate our good fortune elsewhere. Danny needs his rest.” Kono stood from the hammock and grabbed her cousin’s arm, pulling him up from his chair. “Feel better Danny. Later, Boss.”

“Seems like we’re leaving, then. We’ll check on you later, Danny.”

“Bye guys. And thanks.” Danny smiled at the cousins as Kono dragged Chin behind her.

“Hang on, I’ll walk you out—“ Steve started.

“No need, Boss, we know the way. You just keep an eye on Danny!” Kono hollered over her shoulder, pushing Chin through the front door and pulling it shut behind her. “You’re welcome,” she said as they headed for her car.

“For what, crazy woman?”

“For getting you out of there. The Governor may not be mad, but when Danny finds out that Steve moved him out of his apartment while he was in the hospital? It’s going to get ugly. A few broken ribs are not going to keep Danny from yelling. Trust me, we do _not_ want to be here for that.”

“Good point. I’ll drive.”

************************************

“They sure took off in a hurry,” Danny mused. “It’s a sad commentary on your hosting skills.”

“And after I spent all that time patching those bullet holes in the wall, too,” Steve shook his head sadly as he nudged Danny’s legs over so there was room for him to sit next to him. “I talked to Rachel; she’s going to drop Grace off here after school today for the weekend.”

“Rachel’s being surprisingly accommodating,” Danny noted. “I think she likes you.”

“Once I figured out how to talk to her, she was really quite reasonable.”

“Not a word I would apply to Rachel.”

“Not really a word that I would apply to you, either,” Steve said with a wink. “I’m hoping though, that recent events would encourage you to accept a gift from me without flipping out.”

“Ah,” Danny nodded understandingly. “You mean the gift wherein you left me alone in the hospital, to be poked and prodded by people who were having way too much fun with their task, and not-so-stealthily made your way to my apartment, at which time you enlisted the aid of Kamekona and several members of his absurdly large family to box up all of my belongings and move them into your house without my express permission? Is that the gesture to which you are referring?”

Steve gulped. “Yes?”

“Did you think that I, a Detective who makes a living observing the tiniest of details, would somehow fail to notice that when you shepherded me up the stairs and into your bedroom to take a nap, that it was _my_ pillow in _your_ bed that I happened to lay my pretty head upon? Or, no, I know. You thought that I’d see the collection of ties in your closet, ignore the fact that said ties looked exactly like those in my possession, and just presume that you suddenly decided to start dressing professionally. Is that what you thought?” Danny asked, a glint of amusement in his eye.

“I thought that it was understood you would live here after I told you that I was in love with you.”

“And in McGarrettland where the standard practice is to ask forgiveness rather than permission, that’s a perfectly valid thought. Most people, however, do not live in McGarrettland, and therefore do prefer to be consulted on their living arrangements,” Danny said quietly, reaching out for Steve’s hand. “Fortunately, I happen to be familiar with your customs and God help me, babe, even find them somewhat endearing. Which is why I was not overly surprised to find my toothbrush in your bathroom. But since we are working on your non-SEAL interpersonal skills, you need to understand that major life-changing decisions should only occur after consent has been given by all parties involved.”

Steve nodded solemnly. “Got it. Ask first.”

“Excellent. So, Steven, with that in mind, is there something you would care to ask me?”

“Sure. Danno, do you mind that I moved your four boxes of stuff and three suitcases of ties out of your rat-hole apartment into my beachfront home?” Steve asked cheekily.

Danny glared. “Not what I had in mind, babe.”

“Right.” Steve composed himself, and painted a serious expression on his face. Inching forward on the lounge, he leaned in and gently brushed his lips against Danny’s. “In that case, do you think you can handle waking up with me for the next 30 or 40 years? And would you be willing to share your beautiful daughter with me? Because I love the two of you more than I can ever, ever say.” Steve trailed a string of tiny kisses up Danny’s cheek to just below his ear. “And finally,” he whispered, “if you ever leave Hawaii, will you promise to take me with you? Because I’m pretty sure that whatever I was doing before you came into my life couldn’t be considered living, and now that I know what it feels like to be _alive_ , I don’t ever want to lose that. I don’t ever want to lose _you_.” Gently taking Danny’s head in his hands, Steve looked into his eyes. “My home is wherever you and Gracie are. And I would be really, really, _really_ happy if the two of you would make your home here with me. Please, Danno? Please?” he finished hopefully.

“Oh my God,” Danny whispered. “I take it back. Your human interaction skills are coming along nicely.” He touched his forehead to Steve’s and gently rubbed their noses together. “I love you. And yes.”

“Yeah?” Steve grinned. “So, you’re not mad about the apartment then?”

“After your performance in the hospital, I think I would have been mad if you _hadn’t_ moved me in here. Grace is going to be thrilled.”

Steve pressed a quick kiss to Danny’s lips. “Yeah, about that. She may already have had a hint about my plans. Scoot forward a bit so I can squeeze in behind you.” The two men carefully arranged themselves on the lounge chair, Danny leaning back against the solid heat of Steve’s chest. “Better. I wanted to be able to hold on to you without squeezing those broken ribs,” he said.

“No complaints from me; this angle is better for breathing anyways. You told Grace I was moving in here?”

“Of course not. I took her to pick out paint, new furniture, and a new comforter for her room. She figured it out pretty quickly after that. You know, for a _Detective_ who makes his living observing the tiniest of details, I’m surprised you missed a freshly painted pink bedroom with giant palm trees stenciled on the wall and an oversized dolphin beanbag chair in the middle of the floor,” Steve replied smugly. He felt Danny take a shuddery breath.

“Danno?” he asked, suddenly concerned when Danny seemed unable to speak for a long moment.

“I can’t believe you did all that. You bought my daughter a dolphin bean bag chair?” Danny whispered.

“Well, yeah. She loved it.” To Steve, it was obvious. If it made Grace happy, he wanted her to have it. “Are you okay with that?” he asked cautiously.

Danny tilted his head up for a kiss, which Steve was more than happy to give him. “Fine, babe. I’m absolutely fine,” he said with a smile.


End file.
